One needs to be super intelligent and have an above-average IQ to be able to work in movies.
— R. Madhavan
I play a womaniser in 'Saala Khadoos,' but I do not demean women in any way.
It is a privilege that women fancy me, but I cannot sustain the chocolate boy image forever. I don't want to end up being known, like the late veteran Tamil actor Gemini Ganesan was, as the king of romance.
I realised after doing 'Tanu Weds Manu' that I had become fat and was not performing to the mark. I realised that I had become a terrible actor. I did 'Jodi Breakers,' which did not do well. So, I moved away from the film industry and lived with the common man to know where I was lacking and what do they want from an actor.
I think new directors come with new perceptions, energy, and passion to win. They don't have to worry about an already existing image or budget that they have to recover.
I do only one film at a time.
I don't mind being called Maddy at all, but I mind the closeness that you assume you get by calling me by my pet name. So merely by calling me Maddy, I don't give you the authority to come and put your hand around my shoulder.
I'm a Gemini, and my attention span is limited. So, I don't dwell on long-term goals.
I've done some wonderful performance on TV even better than films. But once people watch it, they just forget it. The impact is not strong. So, films and TV are different.
A film star is a film star, and you can't take that away. Hence, I don't think about money when I do films, but I will do it for TV like the way I do it for endorsements.
I struggle on many fronts on having to move to a different level, having to cater to constantly evolving audiences.
Being a parent, it is heartening to see your child wake up every day at 5:45 in the morning to pursue his passion and then manage school as well.
All great scripts need not reach silver screen, and every good story can't be narrated in a 2-hour film.
I'm fantastic at cooking up stories. In the kitchen, I can, at best, make tea and a badly shaped dosa.
Oh, I have very limited will power. I wish I could change that. I am working on it, though. I am too easygoing.
I eat before I feel hungry. I know that when you order food or shop on an empty stomach, you always tend to over-eat, over-order, or over-shop. So I always eat slightly before I'm famished.
I eat exactly three times a day: breakfast, lunch and dinner. I sit quietly for 20 minutes without anybody disturbing me, and I chew each mouthful 60 times.
I took a break so that I can entertain my audience properly.
I have always acted in films where women have an equal, if not bigger, role than mine. Don't the kind of films you do reflect your personality?
Whenever you have chemistry on-screen, then you have to be very attracted to the person.
It's very embarrassing to talk of your own work before shooting for it and even before it is released. I have been a witness to many of our actors turning red-faced after their films release. I'd rather not be there.
If you have a great story, any film will work.
I am not chocolate and definitely not a boy. I am a man, and I have no clue how this image has stuck to me despite all these years. I think, maybe, in spite of trying to shell off my chocolate boy image, love stories excite me, and somehow I land up in such roles.
Actually Maddy is my name. But I feel that whenever you address somebody, there needs to be certain amount of dignity rendered to it - irrespective of whether it's a film star or somebody you are fond of. I find it very pleasing when somebody refers to me as 'Mr. Madhavan' or 'Sir' or 'Mr. Maddy.'
The thing about organic farming is that the produce will not look the same. Your tomato will not resemble the rich red one from the textbook, and that's the beauty of it.
Making six-pack abs for no reason doesn't make sense. When you are young, it is possible.
I can think of doing TV shows if the money is good.
I don't think there's anymore chocolate boy left in me... Like, if I do the roles on the screen that border on romance, it will be age-appropriate.
I always believe that the elders in my family are the reason for my success.
Nobody is in the world should be deprived of the joys of eating.
If I could, I would like my son to study in Jamshedpur, where I did my schooling.
I might sound audacious, but the Mahatma has been a great inspiration. He had the conviction to live with his beliefs in the face of total disbelief.
I don't have anything fresh in terms of raw foods or salad after 4 P.M. And no food after 7 P.M.
'Tanu Weds Manu's brilliance lies in the fact that it makes the middle class want to be aspirational.
I told my wife that I want to take a three-year break. She supported me and said, 'Please go ahead.' I am grateful that she supported me. For me, this romance and understanding is very important in our marriage.
I was really lucky and blessed to have had the likes of directors such as Mani Ratnam and Rajkumar Hirani in my career.
There is a time in every actor's life when he has to face the self-created hurdle after he starts getting bored of work and suddenly realises that he is left behind.
As an actor, I would never agree if a newcomer doesn't give me a final word on the script. If it is well-written, then you need not speak to me. I will speak for you.
There's no one beating Mr. Bachchan when it comes to acting. He is outstanding. He is a phenomenal actor and a thorough gentleman. His natural skills at acting just bowled me over, and I've become an even bigger fan of his after working with him.
When I go to hotels, sometimes I find waiters and people who do not address me as 'Mr.' or address me as a normal guest would have been addressed, simply because my name is Maddy. I find that slightly offending, but I don't react to it thinking that maybe the name is so casual that people think it's a buddy that you are talking to.
If you ask me to get a six-pack in the interim between signing a film, I will not do it. I enjoy food and will be happy to feed myself a pizza or two and gorge on cakes. But, I have good control over my body.
Birds and insects are part of the ecosystem and help in pollination. I don't see any problem in having fruits and vegetables that birds want to eat, as opposed to the perfect shaped tomato that only you can eat and which, by the way, could also be cancerous.
People have this misconception that people with six-pack abs can deliver hits, but that's not the case. Had I built six-pack abs for 'Tanu Weds Manu Returns,' I wouldn't have been able to justify myself.
I learned different ways of working out. I learned a lot about my body. Let me just say that Arnold Schwarzenegger had 20-inch biceps when he did his first film, and when I did 'Saala Khadoos,' being a vegetarian, I managed 18 and half inches.
I am no more the 'chocolate boy.' Still, romance is always going to be a part of my life.
When it comes to filmmaking, we have to deal with ego, anger, and a lot more; barring all these, how the team works towards the outcome matters.
I hail from a small town, Jamshedpur. From childhood, I've been constantly surrounded by people who are not so urban.
I dislike the trait of ungratefulness.
I value my independence a lot, and the thought of having to lose that due to age or any other reason terrifies me.
I have found out what I am allergic to, and I am trying to avoid that in my daily food intake.
